Andriette

Kazuya Makita (trainer)
“The going (in the Tulip Sho) clearly didn’t favor her, and despite taking a hit on the next to last turn, she did really well in closing out the race from the outside. The race didn’t take anything out of her, she still has her appetite and continues to be in good condition. She just breezed last week, but her action and time were fine. The mile at Hanshin is perfect for her and on top of that, the shorter ride to the racetrack will help her. Our opponents will be stronger, but I believe she is more than good enough to compete here. She’s a lot looser than she used to be during races, which allows her to finish races stronger. If the going holds up on the day of the race, all the better to her.”

Cool Hotarubi

Hisashi Shimizu (trainer)
“We’re just hoping she finishes as high as she can. She’s come along well since her last start. For better or worse, she’s a lively horse but hopefully she shook off any rust through her last race.”

Culminar

Naosuke Sugai (trainer)
“She’s still in the process of filling out but the talent is clearly there in the way that she won her first two starts. She’s pretty mild-mannered, too, which is a very good thing. The competition will be a lot stiffer here but we’re looking to bounce back in a big way. We’re praying for good weather and a clean race so she has the opportunity to show what she can do.”

Earthrise (left)

Yoshito Yahagi (trainer)
“She didn’t get a whole lot of support last time, which I didn’t she deserved because I always felt she’s quite sharp after a layoff. But we’ll just have to see how she does against a strong field like this.”

Let's Go Donki

Tomoyuki Umeda (trainer)
“She couldn’t be in better shape. She’s built like she’s never been built before. The mood here is good. She can run clockwise, counterclockwise in sunshine or rain. All we need is a bit of luck.”

Loaded

Jun Sato (assistant trainer)
“She can be prone to bad starts and that’s what happened in the last race. She can’t sit still inside her stall. She can run so we’re just hoping she can gain good position during the race.”

Moon Express

Takashi Suzuki (trainer)
“After her last race, she’s sharpening up the way we had hoped she would. She’s got quality so if she runs to her potential, she should reach the board at least. But this is a Grade 1 race after all; we’ll be going for it. I’ll decide how we run the race after talking to the jockey about it.”

Not Formal

Eiji Nakano (trainer)
“I’m not that obsessed with her being on the lead, but the closer to the front will be better for her. She doesn’t have a closing rush so she’ll have to gain the early advantage and try to hang on. We’ll be going up against a much tougher field so it won’t be an easy race for us. We need to break well and hope that she can run it out.”

Perfica

Yuji Hishida
“She ran a solid race (in the Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue). For a filly at her age, she’s fairly relaxed and is easy to ride during races. I’m thrilled I’ll be riding in a Classic race. You never know what can happen in a race among 3-year-olds. Perfica is a horse with plenty of upside. She can take it up a few more notches. She may have qualified for the Oka Sho but she was only second in a trial so there’s no room for us to be complacent. We’re out for payback.”

Queens Ring

Mirco Demuro
“It was her first time at 1,400 meters (in the Hochi Hai Fillies’ Revue) and on a going as bad as that, but she handled it fine. She turned in a good performance despite the conditions – she was strong, bottom line. She felt great in the workout. We Italians are romantics so it would be great if I can win a G1 race under the beautiful cherry blossoms. I was second on Red Oval two years ago when my brother Cristian won the race with Ayusan so I hope I can take the next step. I’ve never won a G1 race with a female (in Japan) so I really want to win it here. She was a little slow to adjust to the pace in the Fillies’ Revue because it was her first time at 1,400 meters. But she still ran a great race. She’s so intelligent and such an easy ride. I’m convinced we’re in good shape for the Oka Sho. She should be fine at the mile. We’ve got a great chance here, and I’m excited.”

Keiji Yoshimura (trainer)
“She not only won us the race but also a place in the Oka Sho. Hanshin that day favored the inside horses so to come through on the far outside says a lot about the performance. Compared to last winter, she’s a lot slimmer around the neck which says something about her entire body. She’ll be traveling on the day of the race for the first time so we’ll see how that goes. She doesn’t have a problem settling so another furlong should not be an issue. We think she’ll hold her own even at this level.”

Rouge Buck

Keita Tosaki
"(In the Kisaragi Sho) she didn't respond like she did in her previous two races. Maybe it had something to do with the layoff. But once she switched gears, she was incredible. I thought she was already at top speed halfway down the stretch, but over the last 100, 50 meters she took it to another level. She still had something left in the tank, too. I thought the performance was more than good enough. She’s got a big stride. It’s difficult to put into words but she runs like a cheetah almost. She has such range of motion that allows her to take the big, long strides. I’m sure she’ll be the favorite. She’s that good, and I think she deserves the expectations – from me, especially. It’s the first Classic race of the season. The fans will be paying attention and for both me and the horse, it’ll be a very important race. I hope I can get the most out of Rouge Buck so it leads to a positive result.”

Masahiro Otake (trainer)
“She’s matured with each race and has stopped doing anything unnecessary. She’s become a much more efficient runner. Judging by what we saw in her last race, she should have no problems adjusting to the pace of a mile. She’ll be going into the race in good condition so as long as she runs to her potential, we’ll have a lot to be happy about.”

Tenderly Voice

Kiyoshi Hagiwara (trainer)
“The quality of the competition (in the Anemone Stakes) obviously had something to do with it, but she drew an outside barrier and still came home with plenty left in the tank. So I think the performance counts for something. She was in much better condition and the jockey rode her the right way to qualify us (for the Oka Sho). She was always one of the favorites up until now, which is why she raced the way she has. But naturally, she’s probably more of a stretch runner than a frontrunner. The field will become stronger this time around, but I’m anxious to see how she does here, running to the style she knows best.”

Tosen Lark

Yasuo Sugawara (trainer)
“We farmed her out after her last race but she fell behind in her preparations and couldn’t run her in the Fillies’ Revue. She’ll be heading straight to the Oka Sho and won’t be 100 percent. Yet she’ll at least be 80 to 90 percent for the race.”